Cushion construction



Oct. 16, 1962 P. A. STURTEVANT 3,058,124

CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed May 9, 1961 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. Paul A. .S'Zurievanf United States Patent 3,058,124 CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Paul A. Sturtevant, Fort Myers, Fla., assignor to Lee A. Sturtevant, Ehnhurst, Ill. Filed May 9, 1961, Ser. No. 108,940 5 Claims. (Cl. 5-345) This invention relates to a pillow or cushion, and more particularly, to an improved form of cover designed to permit the free egress and ingress of air during use of the cushion without permitting rain or heavy seas from wetting the interior.

Heretofore, it has been the conventional practice to make seat cushions of sponge rubber or a cellular resilient material that will float if allowed to remain in a dry condition. Seat cushions used on boats are, however, constantly subject to rain and spray wash caused by heavy seas. When they become wet, they require a drying out that may take several days. Attempts have been made to keep seat cushions dry by providing an exterior cover of waterproof material. It has been the practice to use zipper closures to keep the covers in place and rely upon the bleeding of the air from and to the cushion interior at these zipper closures. Most seat cushions yield to pressure for the comfort of the user and air therein will be allowed free flow into and out of the cushion as used. Vents are sometimes provided, but they, like the zipper closure, will allow rain Water and spray wash to seep into the cushion and wet the interior. Efforts have been made to keep the interior of a seat cushion dry but only with the use of a one-way air valve that, while usually requiring the use of an air pump, will prevent the outward movement of air from the cushion, thereby producing a cushion that does not yield to pressure for the comfort of the user.

The present invention provides a seat cushion, for use particularly on boats, that is free of the wetting trouble heretofore experienced by rain or heavy seas seeping through the cover at the attachment closures or at vents used to bleed the air into and out of the cushion as it yields to pressure for the comfort of the user.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a cushion of sponge rubber, or other material suitable for this use, and a cover therefor that is preferably hermetically sealed about its edges, say, by cementing or by fusion. There is preferably provided a downward extension from the cover, the extension being hollow and sealed at its edges to the cover where it joins the cover. The opposite end of the extension is open to atmosphere and is below the lower edge or seat side of the cushion. Being hollow and communicating with the interior of the cushion, air is permitted to bleed out of and into the interior of the cushion as it yields to pressure by the user without rain or water caused by heavy seas gaining access to the interior of the cushion to cause wetting of the same. The novel downward direction of the hollow open-end extension takes into consideration that water will never run upwardly under conditions of use of a cushion in a boat and, consequently, this hollow open-end extension efiectively keeps the interior of the cushion dry although simple and inexpensive to provide. Air may move freely into and out of the interior of the cushion without the possibility of water entering the same, although the cushion may be exposed to rains and splash water entering the boat.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detail description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a seat cushion or pillow embodying the present invention; and

3,058,124 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 FIG. 2 is a detail sectional view taken vertically through the middle of the downwardly-extending hollow member.

The pillow or cushion 5 shown in the drawing is of the usual form or shape and comprises an interior 6 of a suitable material such as foam or sponge rubber or yieldable fabriclike material that is capable of expanding into normal size by air entering the cushion. It must also be capable of yielding to the pressure of a user by discharging all or a portion of the air to permit the cushion to conform to the body of the user. The shape or size of the pillow is not material, but it is usually disposed within a covering for protection from wear and moisture in order to be kept dry.

Covering 6, shown in the drawings, is moisture-resistant and is preferably kept in place about the cushion 5 by sealing the edges 7. If the covering is made of plastic material, the seal may be formed by heat so as to insure against seepage or entrance of moisture. Sealing these edges 7 is preferable tomechanical fastenings, like a zipper or snap button, that permit moisture to enter and wet the interior cushion.

To allow cushion 5 to yield to pressure for the comfort of the user by allowing the air therein to flow freely outwardly and then inwardly when relieved of this pressure, a tubular member or extension 10 is preferably attached to covering 6, say, at the front of the cushion 5 so that when the cushion 5 is positioned normally on a boat seat or the like, extension 10 may drop downwardly with its free end 11 below bottom 12 of the cushion or its covering 6.

Extension 10 may be attached in any suitable manner to covering 6 preferably to provide a moisture-tight con nection. This may be accomplished, for example, by providing flanges 13 about the upper part of this extension 10, which flanges 13 may be heat-sealed or otherwise attached in moisture-tight relation. The lower end 11 of extension 10 is open and, as shown in FIG. 2, it will permit the free venting of air in the cushion to the exterior and allow the return of air into the cushion when the cushion 5 is relieved of pressure. By allowing the free end 11 of extension 10 to position itself below the bottom 12, rain water or water caused by heavy seas cannot wet the cushion 5 due to the fact that this water will not run upwardly through the extension into the interior of the covering 6. The length of extension 10 will depend upon where flanges 13 are secured to covering 6, the purpose being to have the free end 11 below bottom 12. If flanges 13 are attached just above the bottom 12, extension 10 need not be as long as when these flanges 13 are secured higher on the covering 6. However, it is only necessary that the free end 11 of extension 10 be below flanges 13 to an extent that water will not be able to creep upwardly to wet cushion 5. The size and shape of pillow 5 may also determine the number of extensions 10 that may be used.

It is true that tube or extension 10 is simple and inexpensive to provide, but it is effective in preventing the interior of cushion 5 from being wetted by rain or heavy seas although allowed to remain exposed to the same. Hence, a cushion embodying the present improvement may be used when needed without the possibility of becoming wet and unusable again until dried.

Also, the entire pillow structure is simple and easy to provide. As long as the cover 6 is sealed from moisture seepage or entrance, water cannot wet the interior because, as stated, water will not run upwardly and will therefore not run upwardly through extension 10. Hence, the interior or pillow 5 is kept dry at all times although air may have free egress and ingress during use of the cushion.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the character of my invention that others may,

by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service, without eliminating certain features, which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a pillow or cushion, a sealed covering for said pillow or cushion, and tubular means projecting outwardly and downwardly from said sealed cover, the lower end of said hollow extension means being open, the other end of said hollow extension means being sealed about its edge to said covering and opening into the interior of said covering.

2. The combination of a self-inflatable and defiatable pillow or cushion, a sealed moisture-resistant covering for said pillow or cushion, and a hollow extension with a free end, said extension projecting outwardly and downwardly from said covering and communicating with the interior of said covering, said free end being open to atmosphere and positioned below the bottom of said covering.

3. The combination of a self-inflatable and deflatable pillow or cushion, a sealed moisture-resistant covering for said pillow or cushion, and a tubular member sealed 4 at one end to said covering and communicating therewith, the other end of said tubular member extending outwardly from said covering and being open to atmosphere and positioned below said covering.

4. The combination of a self-inflatable and defiatable pillow or cushion, a sealed moisture-resistant covering for said pillow or cushion, tubular means extending outwardly and downwardly from said cover, said tubular means having air-venting means positioned below the bottom of said covering.

5. The combination of a self-inflatable and defiatable pillow or cushion, hollow extension means secured to one face of said pillow or cushion and communicating with the interior thereof, said extending means being tubular and extending outwardly and downwardly from said pillow, and means at the lower end of said extension positioned below the bottom of said pillow to vent air freely to and from the interior of said pillow.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

